The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 eBook

who is considered as the handsomest person in the
whole world and who is protected by all the sons of
Pandu, being regarded by them as dearer to them than
their own lives for his unflinching devotion to them,
is my husband Nakula possessed of great prowess.
Endued with high wisdom and having Sahadeva for his
second, possessed of exceeding lightness of hand, he
fighteth with the sword, making dexterous passes therewith.
Thou, foolish man, shall witness today his performances
on the field of battle, like unto those of Indra amid
the ranks of Daityas! And that hero skilled in
weapons and possessed of intelligence and wisdom,
and intent on doing what is agreeable to the son of
Dharma, that favourite and youngest born of the Pandavas,
is my husband Sahadeva! Heroic, intelligent, wise
and ever wrathful there is not another man equal unto
him in intelligence or in eloquence amid assemblies
of the wise. Dearer to Kunti than her own soul,
he is always mindful of the duties of Kshatriyas, and
would much sooner rush into fire or sacrifice his
own life than say anything that is opposed to religion
and morals. When the sons of Pandu will have killed
thy warriors in battle, then wilt thou behold thy army
in the miserable plight of a ship on the sea wrecked
with its freight of jewels on the back of a whale.
Thus have I described unto thee the prowess of the
sons of Pandu, disregarding whom in thy foolishness,
thou hast acted so. If thou escapest unscathed
from them, then, indeed thou wilt have obtained a
new lease of life.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “Then those five sons
of Pritha, each like unto Indra, filled with wrath,
leaving the panic-stricken infantry alone who were
imploring them for mercy, rushed furiously upon the
charioteers, attacking them on all sides and darkening
the very air with the thick shower of arrows they
shot.”

SECTION CCLXIX

Vaisampayana said, “Meanwhile, the king of Sindhu
was giving orders to those princes, saying, ‘Halt,
strike, march, quick’, and like. And on
seeing Bhima, Arjuna and the twin brothers with Yudhishthira,
the soldiers sent up a loud shout on the field of
battle. And the warriors of the Sivi, Sauvira
and Sindhu tribes, at the sight of those powerful
heroes looking like fierce tigers, lost heart.
And Bhimasena, armed with a mace entirely of Saikya
iron and embossed with gold, rushed towards the Saindhava
monarch doomed to death. But Kotikakhya, speedily
surrounding Vrikodara with an array of mighty charioteers,
interposed between and separated the combatants.
And Bhima, though assailed with numberless spears
and clubs and iron arrows hurled at him by the strong
arms of hostile heroes, did not waver for one moment.
On the other hand, he killed, with his mace, an elephant
with its driver and fourteen foot-soldiers fighting
in the front of Jayadratha’s car. And Arjuna
also, desirous of capturing the Sauvira king, slew
five hundred brave mountaineers fighting in the van